


Delphi Delights

by Executortionist



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
Genre: Literally an Alternate Universe, M/M, in which the events of Delphi don't happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 02:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1588841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Executortionist/pseuds/Executortionist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The events of Delphi don't happen; instead, Ambulon allows First Aid to test his 'Spark Jump-start' technique on a comatose Fort Max, and Pharma isn't awful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Limb Fight

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, look what we have here~ An MTMTE AU in which the events of Delphi don't happen and things go right, for once. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this!

_His job wasn't for the weak of spark, that was for sure_. Lugging around half dead mechs, broken equipment, and all the while missing an arm, that was the only thought on his mind. Most, by now, would have dropped the equipment and patient in favour of tending their own wounds, but not First Aid. Never First Aid. 

Besides, he had pain reducing protocols, and although they didn't do much for the pain of a lost limb, it helped him enough to get back to base- which really wasn't that far off, to be honest. Pharma would patch him up as soon as they dealt with the dying Autobot that just _had_ to get caught in some DJD business. Tsh, Decepticon sympathizers.

It happened often enough for First Aid to view the poor bot stupid, but in accordance to his oath, he couldn't directly tell the mech that. Figures. 

So maybe he was in a bad mood. But he dealt with the DJD on a daily basis, even if only in passing. They often dropped injured Autobots on them, and sometimes they even came in to get repairs themselves, despite both Pharma's and Ambulon's status as ex-Decepticons. First Aid called it a truce, but he truly didn't know what it was.

Aaaand he just stumbled through the front door of their Delphi base. Finally. "Hey, I need some help over here!"

One of the other staff acted quickly enough, taking the broken equipment instead of the injured Autobot. Ambulon, thank Primus, was only down the hall to his left, hurriedly speed-walking towards them, clipboard in hand and all. 

When Ambulon reached them, the patient was passed over and First Aid found the clipboard shoved into his hand. The only hand he currently had, sadly.

"Go find Pharma. We'll be able to take this from here." And Ambulon was off, followed by three other staff. First Aid, not needing any assistance, did as he was told- because really, he wouldn't be able to last much longer with one hand and his own energon dripping from his shoulder joint.

He found Pharma in a familiar room. The one that housed one of First Aid's long-term patients- Fortress Maximus, former warden of Garrus-9. Why Pharma was there, he wouldn't know. It probably had something to do with examining the comatose bot's spark signature, as always. It was especially important now that they were considering letting First Aid attempt his 'technique'.

"Pharma!" He would have waved, but one hand was full and the other was missing. So- yeah. The medic was quick to turn, and once more for the millionth time, First Aid was struck by the similarities between Pharma and Ratchet. Except Pharma was a jet. And a lot more blue.

"So, it looks like I've lost a piece, and I was hoping you'd help me out..?" First Aid drifted off suggestively, waggling his bleeding stump at Pharma. It hurt, but it was funny. Heh.

Pharma didn't look amused. Shame.

Despite the unamusement, he still brought First Aid over to an empty berth and had him sit while he prepped some of the numbing equipment. They would probably have to rebuild his arm or find a suitable spare than he could integrate into his system, but that wasn't anything new when it came to lost limbs. They were replaceable.

So, numbing agent administered, Pharma began clamping off his fuel lines. "What happened? You were only gone for an hour!"

First Aid would have shrugged if his whole upper half wasn't near fully numb. "The DJD. Apparently they're training some newbies not too far from here, and an Autobot and myself managed to get caught in the crossfire. Our search equipment is heavily damaged, by the way."

"But you found the missing patient?" First Aid watched Pharma dismantle the rest of his arm so they could replace it properly. A weld at the point of the break would make it fragile in the future, and they couldn't afford that.

"Yeah. Went looking for his Decepticon buddy. I found them both, but only one was alive, and the trainee thought I was just another Autobot before Tesarus stepped in."

"Tesarus was there?"

"Yeah, he seemed distracted. Do you think something happened to Tarn? Last I heard he was off planet."

Pharma shook his head. "I don't know. It's not like we're friends. As far as I'm concerned, the faster the DJD leave planet again, the better."

First Aid hummed in agreement. "Mm, yeah."

It fell quiet then, and sooner than later, an unknown staff member was bringing in a spare arm from storage and Pharma was once again working intently. 

It was then, in the quiet, that First Aid finally took a glance at the clipboard Ambulon had passed him- and much to his surprise (and delight), it was permission form. A very specific permission form. One that would let his Spark-Jumping Technique be used by medics galaxy-wide if it were to be successful. He nearly gave into his childish urges to bounce on the spot in joy.

For how long had he waited for this moment? It seemed like eons! And to think- if he could finally awaken his long-term patient after painstakingly rebuilding most of that large mass... Well, there was just something about that potential opportunity to gloat to Ambulon and Pharma that made him feel quite giddy. 

And he also wanted to wake Fort Max up, desperately. It was sad, to watch such a strong mech slowly fade away to nothing right in front of him. He could only wonder what was going on in that comatose processor right now.

"So, after this, will I be able to try my _technique_?" He stressed the word, peeking at Pharma for a reaction.

Which he got! Pharma scowled at his work. "I suppose. Just sign that paper and we'll get everything set up. I expect you to rest afterwards though."

First Aid nodded, "Thank you! Of course!"

It took about another half-hour for his arm to be completely attached and functional. All that was left was to paint it to match the rest of him, and he would be golden- er, well, more like red and white.

In that time, he'd signed the papers, double checked his theories and list of things he would need (which really wasn't much), and viewed Fortress Maximus's vitals that had been taken only minutes before he'd walked in to get his arm fixed up. 

Everything was looking fantastic, and First Aid was anxious to get to work. He'd wanted do to this for _years_ now, and to see all his hard work finally come to fruition- to not have all his nagging and urging go to waste, it just felt magnificent. Even if it didn't fully work, First Aid would be grateful for the chance to at least try.

 _All good medical techniques come from trial and error_ , he told himself as he powered up the cables and attached them to Fortress Maximus's spark casing. _If it doesn't work, don't be disappointed_. 

Taking a last look at Pharma and now Ambulon whom had arrived only minutes earlier, he nodded to both of them and gave them a thumbs up as he initiated a manual spark pulse into the cables connecting himself and Fortress Maximus.

And he did it twice.

Thrice.

And just when his hope was starting to wane, and he was starting to feel the spark strain, a fourth, particularly strong pulse, passed through the cables.

First Aid stayed conscious just long enough to see Fortress Maximus's optics brighten as awareness returned to him.


	2. Rehabilitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Fort Max now awake, the hard part begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding dong ding dong ding dong yes hello this is chapter two pls enjoy

For First Aid, the next couple of days went by in a blur of recovery and recharge. He would have liked it if he hadn't fainted like he had but... Eh, if you're sick, you're sick- and Spark Exhaustion was a sickness, if only a temporary one.

But once he was up on his feet again, there was a flurry of activity that kept him from Fortress Maximus' berthside. Paperwork, for one, needed to be completed in regards to his technique and it's newly discovered limitations. He would have to wait to observe any long term effects as well. 

And then there was Ambulon- Annoyed, angry, and frustrated as well, considering his workload had nearly double in response to First Aid not being available to do anything strenuous. He grumbled. Constantly. It was bothersome, and First Aid contemplated telling him so. 

He didn't, of course. He did, one day, get to Fortress Maximus's bedside, however. Which was a lucky break, in all honesty. Standing beside the much larger mech, he looked upon the clipboard and then back at Max, and he practically _beamed_. Everything was in order and ready to move forward. 

"Fortress Maximus! It's a pleasure to see you awake. How do you feel? I'm just going to run a standard check up to see how everything is functioning." There were no words from Fort Max, but his red optics were trained on First Aid attentively- filled with dead light and dread, as if he were expecting First Aid to just tear him apart. That wouldn't do at all. Not if he and First Aid were to be spending a lot of time together.

So First Aid kept up a constant stream of chatter as he switched on machines and tested joints and got to know the issues with Fortress Maximus's wakened body. "-nd I can't say I liked when I was demoted to nurse. Who cares if I happen to collect Autobot badges? I ask permission before I take them, and it's not like they're sentient... though there was that one time with Ambulon-" And on it went.

Fortress Maximus seemed to relax under his gentle touches and constant stream of stories and explanations of what he was doing, and though he didn't say anything when First Aid requested he sit up, he still did it. Quietly, they were getting somewhere.

And First Aid had to admit; Fort Max was _huge_.  Easily doubling First Aid's height- it was somewhat terrifying. Even sitting, he was taller than the medic. As they continued on, First Aid got a good look at Fort Max's teeth, and he tested a sample of energon taken. All seemed well, and they would have continued, if not for First Aid being rather fatigued suddenly.

"I hope you don't mind if I sit? I'm still recovering myself, and it seems random bouts of fatigue can be added to the list of long term symptoms..." He sat, pulled out a data pad, and made a note. Fort Max still said nothing, but was watching- always watching.

Loud, rather angry and panicked yelling echoed through the halls of their facility briefly, making both of their heads snap up and to the door. It sounded close, and First Aid was preparing to stand between whatever was coming and Fort Max when the door burst open. First Aid only managed to get an eyeful of the Decepticon symbol before Fortress Maximus was literally tearing the intruder apart. 

Things like intruding Decepticons was usual for their facility; usually they were just handed over to the DJD and everything was done with- however, this time... This time Fortress Maximus seemed to dispatch the runaway Cybertronian rather quickly.  There would be no handing this one back.

Because the mechs head was crushed in one of Fort Max's storage compartments.

Ambulon entered soon after that and the fiasco was over, but the damage was done. Fort Max- now alert and truly looking around for the first time, with pink energron dripping from a shoulder and a body in his hand. It was a frightening sight.

First Aid couldn't help but inch over and reach up as Ambulon attempted to talk Fort Max into letting the body go. He was dead, there was nothing more he could do. Knocking gently on Fort Max's arm, he nearly flinched away as the larger mech turned sharply towards him.

Reaching up on the very tips of his toes, he knocked again, this time on the storage compartment. "Open up, I'm just going to remove the head, is all." They both grimaced as the compartment popped open and the head nearly rolled out.

Ambulon observed two things in that moment.

One; Fortress Maximus reacted with emotion towards First Aid, opposed to how he'd been reacting towards the other medics caring for him, and two; First Aid seemed happier then he'd been in months, despite the poorly veiled flinch and any uncomfortable or awkward airs between the two.

More observation would be needed. As it were, the body was his priority.

As he left, body and head in tow, he said over his shoulder, "I'm taking these to the border. Clean up this mess, please." Pharma wouldn't be too pleased if they didn't.

He was out the door before he could hear their response.

* * *

 

First Aid spent quite a while cleaning out Fortress Maximus's shoulder, but at least they had a conversation going now. They spoke of how Max was feeling and what would need to be worked on, and although it was slightly onesided he was still getting short replies at normal intervals.

But they would have to start working on reaction timing and rehabilitation very soon. Any longer, and Fortress Maximus was at risk of both joint failure and a stunted processor speed. So it was discussed and agreed upon that next time First Aid came to see him (which would most definitely be the next day), they would start going to the small training facility that they had on the top floor.

 "For now, I'd like to you to take a hot oil bath to help loosen your joints. There's a room attached to this one with an appropriate sized bath for your frame." First Aid pointed towards a door to his left. "If you could slowly stretch your joints out after being submerged for at least ten minutes, that would be a great start! We'll get you to do it twice daily, once when you wake up and again before you recharge." Notes were made of what he said in Fort Max's file to let the others know what he was prescribing.

"Hopefully this will help you regain most of your mobility. With the help of our training facility, you should be up and running optimally within two weeks!" 

Fort Max nodded, and First Aid realized that this was probably the first medical advice he'd gotten since waking up. The place was particularly busy that year, so if there were more urgent patients to get to, then Fort Max would have had to wait. It had been four days since he was boosted back to life. Four of being unprofessionally ignored until First Aid could get to him. In all honesty, it made First Aid a bit mad at the others for being so negligent.

In his fuming, First Aid didn't register the awkward silence until a moment later. "Er, right. I'll leave you to it. We'll leave the training and rehabilitation centre for tomorrow, but if you need anything, I'll give you my personal comm number." Walking off the rummage around in the corner for a datapad, he gave a cry of triumph when he found a small one. Quickly, he typed in his number on the screen and handed the thing to Max, who looked like he would nearly crush it between his fingers.

"Sorry, it's the only one I could find here."

"It's fine... I'll just enter it into my internal directory system." Fort Max's voice crackled slightly from disuse, but it was good that he was using it, finally. First Aid wondered how long it would take for the big bot to open up to him. As nurse and patient, they would be spending a lot of time together, after all.

"Right, well, I'll be leaving you now. If you need anything or have any questions, just call." With a nod and wave from a slightly distracted looking Max, First Aid was out of there. Quickly, he walked down the hall, heading for Pharma's office before heading to his own room. 

it was a quick stop; a simple "I've updated Fortress Maximus' file." and he was gone. The fatigue was getting to him now- he had a processor ache and his limbs were starting to feel heavy. Venting, as well, felt like it was becoming a task. By the time First Aid reached his room, he was just about ready to recharge in the hall. 

"Right- long term symptom. Fatigue. Yeah." Noting it down once again with an explanation and time, he sat on his berth. He contemplated energon for a moment before passing it up. He would much rather go straight into recharge. 

With his internal alarm set if he got any messages,  he fellinto recharge relatively quickly once he plugged into his slab for the remainder of the day. He could only hope that things continued on peacefully, and that his damn spark energy would return to more normal levels.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... undecided about this chapter? I'm not really happy with the way it came out, but at least it's done at a satisfactory level. Maybe if I think of something else I'll extent it a bit...

**Author's Note:**

> So? What did everyone think? It's a bit jumpy in places, and for that I apologize. I'm still trying to get back into writing ehe.


End file.
